iHealth Core HS6

Design

Ease of use

Use of information

Motivation

Pros

Cons

iHealth Labs Inc. is a company based in Mountain View, California. It is a subsidiary of the Tianjin-based, Chinese manufacturing company Andon Health, one of the largest OEM health technology manufacturers in China. The company is known for its wireless devices that can measure vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels.

iHealth was one of the early entrants into the connected scales market. Its current range of smart scales consists of the:

Design

There is little to distinguish connected scales these days in the looks department. The HS6 will look good in any bathroom with its smart sleek design. The scale measures 350 mm × 350 mm × 28.5 mm and weights around 2.5 kg. The 4 AAA batteries will keep it going for around 3 months.

There are no colours to choose from – but the white colour that is available combines well with the white letters on the LCD screen. The scale is compatible with most modern major market Android and iOS mobile devices.

Ease of use

The scale uses four electronic sensors, as well as a set of proprietary algorithms to measure body composition. By standing still on these sensors with your bare feet, the HS6 will measure nine different body components. Data is displayed on the LCD screen, and sent wirelessly to the iHealth MyVitals App.

In terms of user-friendliness, some users have flagged up difficulties in connecting to their wifi networks, and others have had to manually start the app on their phones on occasion in order to sync individual readings. So it can be a bit of a hit and miss depending on the configuration of your network.

Once it is up and running though, the associated app keeps a history of your data and gives you the option to share your information with your doctor or caregiver. The app works with both Apple and Android devices. In addition to keeping your data on your mobile device, you also receive a free and secure cloud account. Accessible from any computer, you can log on to view your vitals, as well as share readings with fitness buddies.

Use of information

The Core provides a complete assessment of your body composition. It measures nine aspects of your overall health including weight and body mass index, body fat, lean muscle, bone mass, water weight, daily calories and visceral fat rating. The information that it churnes out can be integrated with Apple Health.

The jury is still out on the accuracy of this scale and user reviews are split right down the middle.

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However, it is fair to say that most scales on the market today that attempt to estimate more detailed vitals such as body fat – are not 100% accurate. So rather than taking one measurement into account, it is better to look at the average over a few days. Longer term trends provide more precise information as individual discrepancies in readings should even out over time.

Motivation

Smart bathroom scales are one of the best ways to keep track of your health and monitor your fitness goals. Step on one of these scales, and your weight data will find its way to a corresponding app on your mobile device or a Web dashboard. Using the app or dashboard, you can then track your progress over time. This takes away much of the hassle associated with tracking your weight.

Overview

The verdict

On the plus side, the scale is simple to operate and it is less expensive than some other leading brands. It keeps a record of all your readings and provides detailed statistics on a wide range of vitals, which you can then monitor over time. This is one of the few scales that measures lean mass, bone mass, muscle mass, body water, visceral fat and daily calories intake. On the minus side, the reported set-up difficulties, and occasional fluctuations in measurements need to be taken into account when considering this purchase.

Finally, this is how the HS6 stacks up against other scales in the iHealth range.